Safety microtome knife holder



. April 16, 1935.

'A. F. HUETTNER SAFETY MICROTOME KNIFE HOLDER Filed Feb. 6, 1935 INVENTOR. 37%

BY 4) a? a 2:

ATTORNEY;

:45 vention comprises details of constructionand Patented Apr. 16, 1935 t 1,998,428

UNITED STATES PAT EN'T OFFICE.

1,998,428 SAFETY MICROTOME KNIFE HOLDER Alfred Francis Huettner, New York, N. Y. Application February 6, 1933, Serial- No. 655,467 13 Claims. (01. ss-40) This invention relates to microtomes of the Fig. 'is a section taken-online B-Bof Fig. 2. type in which a specimen is reciprocated. past Referring now in detail to the drawing, 1 desiga: stationaryknife to cut off successively thin nates amicrotomeblade holder to which there microscopic sections of the specimen. More paris clamped in the manner hereinafter appearing,

5 ticularly this invention relates, to means of a microtome blade 3, the holderandblade-being 5 mounting the knife which, is used in a microadapted tobe mounted ona microto-me machine tomeof the character described. in any suitable manner. The holder I comprises The cutting of sections requires an extremely an elongated, substantially. flat. bar made of sharp edged'blade or knife. For this purpose metal, wood, fibre or any other suitable material the type of microtome knife employed has reand preferably of generally triangular cross-sec- 1 0 sembled' a very. heavy razor of triangular cross tion having a narrow bottom surface or base. I5, section (frequently with concave opposite sura front surface l6 and a rear surface H. The faces) and a cutting edge comprising the full surfaces 16 and I1, as shown in the drawing, dilength of the blade. This blade is secured in verge to form an acute angle with 'one'another a support which is mounted in such a fashion whereby the bar is substantially flat. The holder 1 5 on. the base of the microtome sothat it ma l is formedin the central portion of the front slide at the will of the operator. surface 16 thereof with a rectangular recess or However, the blade, being of a very large size depression 2 forming an edge l2 parallel to but and having a sharp edge along the entire length, located below the upper aligned edges I3 of the 20 a great amount of time is wasted by scientists holder I. The depression 2 forms a shou-lder or 20 in the carewrequired in mounting the blade in ledge 4 parallel to the edge I2" and located above the: support. This care is necessary to prevent the bottom surface H5 or base of theholder. The u tin th fin s f th op rat r and in order surface ll of the holder I; is formed with a wide not to de t r dull t e fi e e o t e b ade groove I0, preferably opposite to and having the through a a c d al pp Scraping 0n width of the recessL-whereby the upper edge-25 e ody o t miclntomer r'e, l2 is spaced from the'surface I1: and: is located should the op rator desire t make y J' between the surfaces. H5v and; I1! of the holder. ments of the section that is being cut, he has The knife blade 3: may have aconcave outer t0.v ma e Sure that hi fin ers e ot u by surface and is located within the recess 2, the the b a the ends d Edge Of W c extend base thereof contacting the ledge 4and-thecut 30 b y nd t e a tual p r n a d by t pting edge 'l-l thereofpreferably being located-berocating section holder.. Furthermore, a large l t edges 3. -t homer and zabove t .blade must be employed which makes its manuedge l2 formed by the recess 2 and the groovelfl.

facturevery costly. The cutting edge H is. likewise, as shownl in. Fig. e bj Of this i vention is to provide .Lspaced from the surface H oftheholclerand 35 m ans w by a these aforementioned diffilocated between the surfaces [6 and l-1,ofsaid cultie a eliminated- While the Cost Of the holder. The surface 16 of the holderis formed blades i Very much less Owing to the t that witha pair of recesses Mon the opposite sides of small Standard-- enforced, plane concave the recess 2 for receiving clamping members. 5,

bi'concave razor blades of the kind used in thelatter having portions overlapping the recess numkgar of g' ig fi g l type.) 2 and engaging the blade 3. Screws 6 01 the like gfig g g W 1 e ange o r a age 13 fastening membersserve to attach theclamping members to the holder whereby the blade may Having this obJect 1n mind, the present in be firmly clamped tolsaid holder.

It will now be understood that the blade-being 21 322233 g tfi g mi gg zf gfifig 5 1 3 located in the center ,of the holder, the holder Fig. l is a perspective view of. my improved ma be gresped'onjoppesite 19 of the blade for blade holder. adjustment without danger of injury to the fin- Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of my imgers of the operator. Furthermore, the cutting 50 proved blade holder with the blade in clamped edge I! being located below the edgeslB of the position. I holder and between the surfaces 16 and i l of the Fig. 3 is a section taken on line A-A of Fig. 1. holder, said holder may be placed on a table in Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the clampvarious positions without the edge contacting the ing members. table, hence protecting the cutting edge. Fur- 55 thermore, to sharpen the blade it is merely necessary to release the clamping members 5.

The cutting edge II, it will be noted, clears the upper edge I2 of the holder but nevertheless does not extend beyond the surface ll of said holder whereby the cutting of the specimen may be effectively carried out and the cutting edge of the blade nevertheless protected.

I wish it to be understood that my invention is not limited in its scope to the particular constructional form heretofore described and illus trated in the accompanying drawing. Various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as pointed out in the following claims.

I claim: I

1. In combination, a microtome blade holder comprising an elongated bar of triangular shape having an intermediate depression in the outer edge thereof, a blade mounted in said depression and having an edge parallel to and located adjacent to and inwardly of said outer edge.

2. A microtome blade holder comprising an elongated bar having an elongated edge and being formed with a depression dividing said edge into two portions, the depression forming an edge parallel to and disposed below the first edges, and a blade received within said depression and having a cutting edge disposed between said portions of said elongated edge, and the edge formed by said depression.

3. In combination, a microtome blade holder comprising a bar having an edge on one side thereof and formed with a cut away portion providing an edge parallel to and adjacent said first edge, and a blade within said depression having a cutting edge disposed parallel to and between said edges.

recesses forming an edge disposed below said first edge, and a blade received within the recess of one of said surfaces and having an edge disposed between said first two edges.

5. In combination, a microtome blade holder comprising a bar of substantially triangular cross-section and provided with diverging surfaces forming an acute angle and meeting in an edge, said surfacesbeing formed with opposite recesses, and a blade'received within the recess of one of'said surfaces, the cutting edge of said blade being disposed between the planes of said surfaces. I

6. In combination, a microtome blade holder comprising a bar of substantially triangular the first edge, and a microtome blade clamped to said bar and having a cutting edge disposed between said edges.

8. In combination, a microtome blade holder comprising a bar of substantially triangular cross-section and provided with diverging sur-- faces forming an acute angle and meeting in an edge, said edge being depressed in an intermediate portion thereof forming a second edge parallel to and disposed below the first edge, and a blade clamped to said holder and having a cutting edge disposed between and parallel to said edges.

9. In combination, a microtome blade holder comprising a bar of substantially triangular cross-section and provided with diverging surfaces forming an acute angle and meeting in an edge, an intermediate portion of said edge being depressed to form an edge disposed below and parallel to said first edge, said second edge being located between the planesof said diverging sur faces, and'a microtome blade attached to said holder having a cutting edge disposed between said edges, said cutting edge likewise being 'located between the planes of said diverging surfaces.

10. In combination, a microtome blade holder comprising a bar of substantially triangular cross-section-and provided with diverging surfaces forming an acute angle and meeting in an edge, an intermediate portion of said edge being depressed to form an edge disposed below and parallel to said first edge, said second edge being located between the planes of said diverging surfaces, and a microtome blade attachedto said holder having a cutting edge disposed between said edges, said cutting edge likewise being located between the planes of said diverging surfaces, and clearing said second edge.

11. In combination, amicrotome blade holder comprising a bar having a pair of diverging surfaces forming an acute angle and meeting in an edge, one of said surfaces being formed with a rectangular recess forming an edge disposed adjacent' and below said first edge, a microtome blade received within said recess and having a cutting edge disposed. between said edges.

12. In combination, a microtome blade holder comprising a bar having a pair of diverging surfaces forming an acute angle and meeting in an edge, one of said surfaces being formed with a rectangular recess forming an, edge disposed adjacent and below said'first edge, a microtome blade received within said recess and having a cutting edge disposed between saidedges, and means for clamping said blade to said holder.

13. In combination, a microtome blade holder comprising a substantially flat, elongated bar provided withv depressions on opposite faces thereof forming an edge set back from one edge of said bar, and a ledge on one face of the bar and disposed adjacent theotheredge of said bar, and a microtome blade received within the depression on one surface of said holder and having the base thereof contacting said ledge, and the cutting edge thereof. disposed between said set back edge and the first edge of said bar.

ALFRED FRANCIS HUETTNER. 

